J-Novel Club Reveals a Big Slate of New Licenses at NYCC

J-Novel Club used its industry panel at New York Comic Con 2025 to unveil a large wave of new licenses. In total, the publisher is adding eleven light novels and two manga series to its catalog, along with a few extra announcements.

The light novel side is the heart of the news, leaning heavily into the fantasy and villainess genres that fans of the publisher know well. Titles include Even Exiled, She’s Still the Beloved Saint!, Buying You on the Day You Were to Die, This White Mage Is One Heck of a Healer, and The Villainess Speaks Not, among others.

On the manga front, J-Novel Club is bringing over a couple more series to round out the slate, giving readers a mix of formats to choose from.

There was good news for print fans too. Three winners from the 2024 JNC Original Light Novel Contest are heading to print, including The Adorable Dungeon Master and ATLAS, a nice spotlight for original works that came up through the contest.

Finally, the publisher announced two new audiobook adaptations, among them the popular Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill, expanding how fans can enjoy its catalog.

My take: Announcement hauls like this are a treasure hunt, since any one title could become a favorite. I am especially glad to see contest winners getting print runs, because supporting original voices keeps the whole scene healthy.